Sweeney Todd: Part 2
by ProudDyspraxicWriter
Summary: Mrs. Lovett puts a curse on Sweeney Todd. Hilarity and weirdness ensues. Written by a sixteen year old version of me :P
1. Nightmares & Curses

**I wrote this a while ago. I think it was in the summer of 2008. I found it a few weeks ago, thought it was sort of funny so I wanted to share it!**

Sweeney Todd: Part 2

The scene in the cellar never actually happened. It was all in Mr. Todd's imagination. He screamed as he arose from the dead. Sweat oozed from his forehead and he trembled violently. He slithered out of bed and floated across the shop to the window and eyed his victims from above.

" Aah, my children. Come to me…" he growled and paced up and down.

The bell tinkled as Mrs. Lovett came in carrying a tray. " Good mornin' Mr. T. Brought ya some breakfast, it ain't much but it'll do," she said with a grin. Sweeney turned and glared at her like a hawk. " Ooh! Look at you - all mysterious!" she commented when she noticed. She thought his act was growing old fast.

" I dreamt of her…Lucy," Sweeney whispered sadly and he pouted. Tears filled his troubled eyes.

At rush hour that afternoon, the pie shop was filled to the brim with customers and Sweeney sliced a few necks. Toby was innocently serving the customers when he heard a blood-curdling, ear-splitting scream from upstairs. He had been suspecting the barber for some time now and this was the last straw. He tiptoed up the stairs slowly and silently as a monk. He opened the door suddenly to make Todd jump.

" What're you doing here?" Sweeney shouted. He was covered in blood and the bloody razor glistened in the sunlight. " You know you're not allowed up here!"

" I know wot 'appened. You killed a man!" Toby replied.

The razor was put to Toby's neck. Sweeney was so closed that they were almost touching noses. " If you blab to the judge, I will kill you like I did your whore of a mother!" he snarled. Toby screamed with rage and he slapped the barber. Sweeney Todd roared and slit the boy's right cheek. " Next time, it'll be your throat…"

Toby left the barbershop and dashed down the stairs. Blood and tears were running down his face. The bright scarlet liquid dripped onto his shirt, but ignored it. His place was with his dear Mrs. Lovett in the pie shop.

" Lord Almighty! Wot the devil 'appened to your face, my love?" Mrs. Lovett shrieked after she finally saw what had happened to the poor lad's face.

Toby thought about what Sweeney Todd had said to him. If he blabbed, he would get in serious trouble or worse. Simply he said it was nothing – he had sliced it by accident when he was trying to cut a pie in half but the meat was so strong, crispy and overcooked. Nonetheless, whether he was telling the truth or not, the kind old baker took him through to the parlour to clean the wound with a dirty rag.

" He's only a little kid, Mr. T," she said to her partner in crime later that evening when Toby had been at the gin bottle…again…and was sleeping soundly. " I dunno wot I'm gonna do wiv 'im, poor soul."

" It was me," the barber/murderer whispered. " I did it."

" Wot'd you mean 'you did it'?"

" He came up here."

Mrs. Lovett sighed heavily in an annoyed tone. " Wot did I say? He's novin' but an urchin! Didn't do you no harm."

Sweeney did not reply. He carried on cleaning his precious razor as if Mrs. Lovett hadn't spoken to him. She sighed again as she gave up. But as she was leaving the shop, she recited words of the evil Satan. " Nhew uoy nrael ot eb gnirac, ouy era desruc htiw na tnanfi fo selcarim!" She whipped out some dark red dust, which sparkled furiously, from her pocket. With the flick of her wrist, she threw it at her friend.

He sneezed and Mrs. Lovett gave a small giggle of satisfaction. Sweeney whirled around. He eyed her closely with a frown. There was something in her eyes. Something evil and mischievous. He grunted, slipped on his coat and dashed out of the door. He had plans. He went to visit the workhouse where Toby was born. He looked behind his back before going inside. He had taken his razor along with him too, just in case.

On that very same stormy night, Anthony the sailor was trudging through the thick mud and rain to Judge Turpin's house. Johanna's bedroom window was closed so he bravely picked up a stone from the ground and threw as hard as he could. He did it again and again. He repeated this motion until the prisoner came to her window.

" Johanna!" Anthony croaked in a quietened shout. " One day, I'll get you out of there! I promise you."

She smiled. There was no sign of fear on her pretty, youthful, fresh face. Her long gorgeous, luscious blonde hair was tied up in a bun and she let it fall. Anthony nearly fainted. The sight of her hair was too much for him. It was long enough to reach his grasp. He was tempted to climb it, which he did. He stayed in the ward's bedroom until morning. He was gone before the judge knew he had even been there.


	2. A Partnership

Two months or so later, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street earned the reputation of Sweeney Todd: The Vomiting Barber of Fleet Street. He was dreadfully sick for a long time, but that didn't put him off seeking his revenge. In fact, when he was killing his victims, Mrs. Lovett had the responsibility of holding a bucket for him to be sick in. Both parties were disgusted by this bothersome sickness, but Mrs. Lovett knew it would be all worthwhile in the end. The customers, too, were disgusted. The fops especially thought it was unethical for a barber to vomit whilst on the job, but they would be dead in less than three seconds, so what was the point?

" Come on, Mr. T! Eat somefin'!" the baker whined one day during the lunch break. He was still feeling nauseous and refused to eat anything. He just sat in the barber's chair with his arms folded like a stubborn child. " It's priest, have a little priest!" she joked.

" Not even priest can tempt me…It's quail I want."

Mrs. Lovett frowned. " That is impossible, Mr. T!"

" I pity da foo' who don't bring me quails!" Mr. T growled.

Once again he raised the razor to her neck. He promised himself he would do it for real this time. He wanted quails so much! Fearing for her life, she instructed Toby to find some quails and kill them with a razor to give to the barber. When he left, Mrs. Lovett decided to tell Sweeney the whole ugly truth.

Sighing, she chose her words carefully so not to frighten him. " Y-you know you hurt our Toby?" she stammered, almost petrified at what his reaction could be. Todd didn't answer. He hung on her every word, intrigued. " Well, I didn't like it! You 'armed that poor kid, so I-I…" She trailed off to brace herself for what was about to come out of her mouth. " I put a curse on you!"

Something clicked in Sweeney's mind. " That's why I've been sick?"

Mrs. Lovett nodded. " I cursed you with a child," she said. " You're pregnant."

Sweeney laughed in disbelief.

" Believe me or not, Mr. T, it's true! You're goin' to have a baby. It's for your own good! Maybe you'll be able to love again."

Sweeney's breath quickened as his heart palpitated. He kept going over it in his head. He was pregnant, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Toby searched high and low for quails but there was no sign of any birds anywhere. So he marched for miles to the infamous Willow Park, famed for its willow trees. Luckily, he found an entire flock. With Sweeney's razor, he killed them all with a flick of his wrist. Just then, he heard several gunshots, making him jump. He spotted the beadle in the distance. What was Beadle Bamford doing here? Panicking, Toby hid the razor behind his back as Beadle Bamford approached him.

" Wot you doin' 'ere, sir?" the boy asked.

" Shooting birds for Miss. Barker. She has been…How can I put this delicately? DRIVING US ALL UP THE WALL!" he whined and stomped his foot on the ground in anger. " 'I want quails! I want quails! Gimme my quails' Wah-wah-wah!" he mocked nastily. " The judge has told me to fetch a few for her."

" Typical, ain't it?" Toby answered.

" Indulge me, lad," the beadle replied.

Toby picked up the dead quails before continuing. " Well…Mrs. L is always tellin' me to do fings. I don't wanna do 'em 'alf the time."

" I understand your predicament," the beadle replied. " I have been under the judge's instruction since I was a handsome young stud. He told me being a beadle gets you the women but…I am yet to find the lucky one."

" Maybe we should gang up on 'em. Tell 'em we're 'uman bein's too, not slaves," Toby mumbled, thinking of all the things that Mrs. Lovett had done for him. The beadle could only agree. " We…SHOULD MARCH THROUGH THE CITY AND GET THE RIGHTS WE DESERVE! But first…Mr. Todd wants his quails. G'day, sir." The two budding partners nodded as they parted to attend to their duties as servants.


	3. Truth is Out

" Friends? Can you keep a secret?" Johanna whispered to her birds. They sang beautifully in response. She went over to her bed. She crawled under it to retrieve a small wooden box with a picture of an elegant and poised ballerina on the lid. She looked around nervously, before admitting her confession. " My appetite has awoken now. At mealtimes, I hide leftovers in my pocket and then stash them in my jewellery box. And the worst thing of all is that I long for quails." Her birds fluttered about in a distressed manner. The young girl's hair flapped as she turned her head in shame. " Oh yes! I am afraid it's true! Day and night, I think of sinking my teeth into those magnificent quails! Oh how I wish for quails!"

Tears streamed down her rose-coloured cheeks as she opened the window. A shiver trickled down her spine as she opened the birds' cage. They tried to fly away from her tiny, sleek hands but they were trapped. She clasped them tightly. She lent to the window to watch them fly away. She sang a sorrowful, sentimental, beautiful song as bid her youth adieu.

So, whenever Judge Turpin took the painting off the wall, Johanna was always weeping and lamenting for her birds. He could never hear her miserable ramblings, but he saw the jewellery box. She kept taking food from it and taking small, ladylike bites.

When Sweeney woke up one morning in mid April, he felt the strange sensation of happiness. He had slept all through the night and he was not tired at all. He liked this feeling. In fact, he adored it! A wide elated beam stretched across his pale face. He dashed to the window to open the tatty and dusty curtains. The golden sun streamed in through the broken glass, brightening up the dark room. What a sight! What rapture! He galloped down the stairs to the pie shop. He slipped through the door to Mrs. Lovett's bedroom, which was right in the back of the building. She was still asleep in bed, and snored as loud as a pig, resulting in Sweeney's immature giggles.

" OH WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNING, OH WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY!" he belted out, loudly and cheerfully. Mrs. Lovett stirred and sat up, rubbing her eyes.

" Wot's all this then?" she asked groggily.

" Oh, nothing," he smiled. " I'm just so…Ya know?"

" No, I don't. Wot 'as gotten into ya? You're not normally like this!"

" I've no idea. I think I'll wake up Toby," he innocently cried. He skipped off, singing Put On Your Tat-ta Little Girlie.

Toby was snuggled up next to the gin bottle like a dog. He was twitching as if he was dreaming. He moved and grunted in his sleep. For some random reason, he began to kiss the bottle. What the devil goes through twelve year old boys' heads nowadays?

" Good morning, Toby-Woby-Woby-Woby!" he screamed in the boy's face.

Toby yelped in surprise as he awoke. He ran straight to the kitchen and picked up a rolling pin. He used it to protect himself. " Stay back!" His cheek was still throbbing.

" Toby…You must understand. I was a dark, twisted, demented man. That man is gone forever. Now I'm Mr. Happy Smiley Sunshine Face!" he cried. He giggled and hugged the boy tightly.

Magically, the next day Mr. Happy Smiley Sunshine Face disappeared from the face of the Earth. But he would soon be back, skipping about and insanely giggling like a little schoolgirl. But on alternate days, he was not an evil man but a distraught man. He was dead inside, traumatised and mournful. Not even quails could tend to his countless needs. He wanted Lucy back in his arms and Johanna by his side.

" Wot 'appened to ya, eh?" Mrs. Lovett asked him.

" HE…happened," Sweeney referred to the judge. He screamed. The memory he was desperately trying to break free of burned in his brain. He ran his finger down the blade of the razor. Judge Turpin would make the most delicious pie. Mrs. Lovett groaned. His act was really getting on her last nerve. All she wanted was to make her beloved Sweeney Todd return her feelings. " Where's that bloody kid of yours?" he asked, breaking a short silence.

" Buyin' some more flour. Why?" She was scared he might harm her boy. She crossed her fingers behind her back.

" YOU need to talk to him," he answered. His dark, deep, depressed, sharp eyes made Mrs. Lovett shudder. Deep in her gut, she knew that he knew her dirty little secret. As if by fate, Toby came through the door with a large heavy sack on his back. A customer went up to Sweeney's shop.

" Toby, my sweetie, I've got somefin' to tell you," the motherly figure whispered to him softly. Toby poured himself some gin and plopped himself on her lap. She held him close. " There was a doctor and his wife. And she was beautiful," she began. Toby sucked at the glass with wide, intrigued eyes. " One stormy night, his wife gave birth to a baby, a baby who would be sweet and oh, so darlin'!" She paused to sniff. " Not so long after, they went out and left the wife's young sister to care. She was foolish and nasty to the babe, y'see. The poor fing cried all night and the sister could do nought but sleep, y'see. Poor fing, poor dear. She awoke some time and found the house in flames, y'see. The sister grabbed the baby. Poor fing, poor fing. When she was outside, she was 'orrified to find that the man and wife were inside, poor fings. In desp'ration, the sister took the baby to the workhouse, y'see. Poor fing, poor fing." Mrs. Lovett smiled sadly. " I'm your aunty, sweetheart!" she cried.

" B-but! But!" Toby stammered. He went back for the gin. He drank straight from the bottle this time, to get over the shock. " My ma died in a fire? And you're 'er sister?" Mrs. Lovett nodded and grinned and hugged her nephew.

" I do not understand," Beadle Bamford said to Toby in the back garden of the Turpin manor later that day.

" Mrs. L told me the truf! She ain't no kindly old baker, she's my aunt!" Toby cried after taking a long time to explain to the beadle.

" I say, we'll march in October. That is when the Lord Mayor takes his annual parade through London," the beadle said, completely ignoring the boy's announcement.

" Don't you geddit? I don't wanna do it no more!" Toby snapped. " Ohh! D'argh!" Toby growled in desperation. He ran off blindly.

" I say! Where are you going? We still need to plan the march!"


	4. Love for Quails

Sweeney Todd was never outside in public after June. The baby bump was growing by the second, and became very noticeable. He became very aware and self-conscious of it, so he vowed to never go out until after the infant was born. Johanna, however, had no idea what was happening to her body. She was getting terribly fat and she felt very nauseous and dizzy. She was frightened of telling anyone, so she kept it a secret. But of course, how does one keep a growing belly a secret?

One morning, after struggling to fit into her dress, Johanna sat at the breakfast table, telling herself not to eat a thing. Judge Turpin, who sat across from her, observed her strange behaviour closely. He had had an eye on her behaviour for a while now.

" Johanna," he began. His glare was as cold as Sweeney's. " Why do you not eat?" he asked.

The young girl gulped and her gaze averted from her guardian's. She sighed heavily. " I am afraid that my dress does not fit me around the belly, even with the corset."

It all fell into place. " GET OUT!" Judge Turpin roared.

" But, sir I-"

" OUT!"

Johanna was sent to her bedroom. The judge locked her in, so she would have no means of escape. Beadle Bamford stood guard as Turpin went out. Hours later, he returned with Anthony. The poor boy was being dangled by his collar like a stray, flea-bitten, rabid mongrel.

" He is responsible, is he not?"

Frightened for Anthony's life, Johanna gave a nod of her head but it wasn't enough.

" IS HE NOT!" Anthony flinched at the sound of the judge's shouts.

" Yes, sir," she squeaked.

Judge Turpin roared in anger like a lion. He threw Anthony against the doorframe and slapped him hard. He strangled him until he fell unconscious. Then his lustful eyes turned on to Johanna. He pulled by the hair, which caused her great pain. From his coat, he took out an old photograph of Lucy, from the days of her prime.

" Do you know who this is?" he spat.

" No, sir! No!" She wanted so much to run away but his grasp was too tight.

" Your mother. Do you know what I did to her?"

" No, sir! No!" The little girl began to cry.

" I raped her! That's going to happen to YOU, if you EVER disobey me like this again!" The judge threw her onto the bed. " I don't want to see your face in this house ever again! And take that thing with you!" He pointed at Anthony, who was just coming to, and he left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Sweeney was helping Mrs. Lovett and Toby clean the oven. It was a terrible job that needed a good pair of a strong man's hands. Despite his aching back and exhaustion, he scrubbed hard, simply because he had nothing else better to do. Suddenly, Anthony burst in.

He looked dreadful. His eyebrow was clotted with dirt and blood. His long dark hair was straggly and tangled and damp from sweat on his forehead. Behind him cowered Johanna. Sweeney could see she had been struck, and the rage shivered down his body. Her hair of wheat had been tousled where Turpin had grabbed her. A tear trickled down her cheek and she masked her pain with a shy smile.

" Morning, sir. Ma'am," he said to his friends. " Johanna has been banished by the judge. Is it all right if we stay here? It's just until the baby is born," he asked.

Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett exchanged smiles. " Which one?" and he revealed the bump.

They all burst out laughing as Sweeney told them all about the curse. Johanna smiled nervously again when he kept staring at her with the oddest look. He smiled too, as he remembered what Lucy looked like. She had it all; the hair, the eyes, the nose, the lips.

" Johanna," he whispered sadly. Mrs. Lovett gave his shoulder a kind squeeze. The tears flooded his eyes as he outstretched his arms. He embraced his daughter warmly. Both Anthony and Toby were bewildered, so Mrs. Lovett promised she would tell them later on.

Later, when the sun had disappeared, Sweeney was brooding away in the barber shop, daydreaming of Turpin's brutal death. Although he didn't know it, Johanna was sitting in the chair, listening intensely to her father's mutterings.

" Father?" she said in a high-pitched whisper. Startled, her father whirled around. " I understand how you feel."

" You do?" Sweeney replied, astonished. His eyes darted to the photograph of Lucy hugging the infant girl. It came on all too much for him. " I need a quail!" he mumbled. He went to the loose floorboard where Mrs. Lovett had stashed his razors. There was almost an entire flock hidden there.

" That is what I crave, but the judge refused to give them to me."

Sweeney observed the dead quail. Its head flopped over his index finger. The feathers were so soft that they felt fuzzy against his skin. He opened his mouth to eat it but noticed his daughter eyeing it. Trying to be kind, he gave her the bird. Johanna took it and grinned. Sweeney grinned too. For the first time in years, he felt empathy quiver in his heart.


	5. Brawl at the Music Hall

**My favourite chapter!**

A few months later, in early August, Anthony had a question for Johanna:

" Would you do the honour of becoming my wife?"

" Yes! Of course, I will!" the answer came.

They were wed the next day. Sweeney was so proud of his daughter that the baby inside him started fluttering about, rejoicing the marriage of its elder sister. He was positively glowing with pride. Mrs. Lovett was overjoyed to see that he was happy again. She smiled to herself as she put her head on his shoulder.

" So wot's it like to be Mrs. 'Ope?" Mrs. Lovett asked with a smile and a chuckle.

" Wonderful, just wonderful," Johanna smiled. " Anthony has promised that we'd never have to worry about money or anything at all!" She grinned and sighed serenely.

" Well don't be goin' expectin' any miracles, my love. When my Albert got 'is gout, I had to do all the work!" she replied.

" I would put up with all that. I promise," Anthony interrupted. He put his hand on Johanna's shoulder and he smiled.

With all the attention going to the happy couple, Toby was sat in the corner with a glass of gin. He glared at them in jealousy. Sweeney sat down beside him. He caressed his belly just when he felt a hard kick. He shushed and hummed quietly to calm it.

" It ain't fair," Toby grumbled. There were black circles around his eyes. He had had too much to drink the previous night and didn't get a wink of sleep.

" How so?" Sweeney answered.

" Well, when I first came 'ere, Aunty Nell was always lookin' out for me. Now she's just…tellin' me to do stuff. It ain't fair! I'm 'er bloody nefew! I'm 'er only family!" he ranted.

" And Johanna is my daughter. Listen, get through today and I'll take you to the music hall tonight. See all the dancing girls!"

" What about your kid?"

" Never mind that. I can always make up an excuse."

At the music hall, Sweeney took Toby by the hand like a father would and escorted him through the crowd of drunkards to protect him. They just sat there in silence, and Toby had his usual glass of gin. Sweeney rested his head in his hand and tapped his other hand on the table with boredom. Music halls were never his thing. Even the baby snuggled up for a nap because it was so bored.

" How'd you like it, Toby?" he sighed.

" Great!" Toby stood up to dance but his brand new 'father figure' had something to say.

" I'm sorry," he mumbled. " I'm sorry about everything; the way I've treated you, what I did to your face – I'm sorry."

" Mr. Sweeney Todd," a voice called behind them. It was Judge Turpin with the beadle trailing behind him. " Well, well, well. Decided to show our face after all these months, have we?"

Sweeney's eyes quivered with rage. Toby shot back to his seat, waiting for something to happen. The beadle eyed the boy, thinking back to their short-lived partnership. The quartet of sinners stood there in fatal silence, all glaring at each other. But then Sweeney spoke up.

" I have had a pile of personal problems these past few months." He looked down at his bump for a second, hoping the judge wouldn't figure it out.

" Aah, yes…" the judge sighed. Johanna jumped to mind. His sweet, beautiful, virtuous Johanna. " They were wed this afternoon, no?"

" Yeah, they're married now. So wot you gonna do 'bout it, eh?" Toby replied. The alcohol was taking its effect.

" Toby…" Sweeney warned and held him back.

Judge Turpin laughed cruelly. " You've gotten fat so your slave has to fight your battles!" He and Beadle Bamford squealed with laughter as Toby fumed. He raised a fist.

" Shush, Toby. It's all right. I can take care of this myself," Sweeney whispered breathlessly.

He raised his bigger fists, ready to fight. Without any warning, he punched the judge in the face. The force threw him into a pair of tables behind him. He had slit his lip and blood trickled down his chin. A crowd gathered around, watching closely with bated breath. When he stood up, Turpin touched his busted lip and looked down at his fingers and saw the blood. Roaring in anger, he lunged for Sweeney's throat. The baby didn't like this one bit. Its father groaned quietly as sweat soaked his streaked hair as the judge tried to strangle him.

" Toby!" he croaked. " Get Mrs. Lovett!" and Toby did as he was told.

The two enemies continued to fight until the brave baker arrived.

" Mr. T!" she shrieked and put her hands on her hips. She frowned in fury. To Toby, she was the image of what a strict mother would be like. " You grown men actin' like little nippers! It's terrible!" She grabbed the judge's shoulders and pulled him away the weak and cowering barber. She wrapped her arms around his large waist and yanked him out of the music hall. She dragged both boys by the ear, with Toby and the beadle sniggering at them.

" But she loosened her hair i' the casement! His face burnt like a brand. As the black cascade of perfume came tumbling o'er his breast-" Anthony's voice echoed across the room and into the fire as the others entered the shop. He turned and smiled, shutting the book he was reading. He looked over to Johanna who was resting peacefully with the fire licking her swollen feet. " Aah, yes. Johanna was exhausted and this is the only way to calm her spirits."

Sweeney grinned as he reminisced about those long, sleepless nights from when she was a baby. He stared at his little girl and was suddenly petrified at the sight of her. She was the spitting image of a beautiful young woman long ago. He remembered that she used to sit in that very same chair with her long, wavy golden hair tousled. Her lips were a dull pink and twitched as they dreamt of what was to come. Her dark shapely eyebrows were furrowed in fear yet aspiration. Small grunts billowed out of her perfect mouth as she felt the child stir. His own child lurched with excitement. Lost in a dream, he drifted into a deep sleep.


	6. Balderdash!

" He's gone!" Mrs. Lovett screamed on a morning in October.

" Huh?" Sweeney grunted groggily. His mind was dying and his eyes were locked.

" Toby – he's gone and dunnit, ain't he?" Toby's terrified aunt cried. She flung a note in Sweeney's face.

Dear Aunty Nell,

Im going with the beedol becos you are unfare with me. You never want to do I want, you never play with me or tell me about my ma. But if it werent for you, Aunty, Id still be in the workhouse. Im fankfol for that but me and the beedol are marching frew Lundun for the rites of survants. Pleese dont hate me becos I love you with all my hart.

Tobias

Mrs. Lovett burst into tears. Anthony came in, having heard her hysterical screaming from downstairs.

" Johanna's still asleep. What's wrong?" he asked.

" Toby's gone and done a runner," she whined. She put her hand to her forehead theatrically with worry.

" What? We must find him! Come on, Ma'am!" he answered, gesturing to the door.

" No, no. We can't leave these two alone!" Mrs. Lovett pointed at Sweeney, and she was right. They were due any day now.

In the deep depths of the dark shadows of London, Beadle Bamford was dragging Toby along a grubby brick wall. Toby was desperately trying to break free of the man's tight grasp but it was too strong.

" Stop! Please! Take me back!" he protested. " I want to go back to my aunt's!"

" Balderdash! You were a miserable little bastard!" the beadle growled. " Come with me or I'll beat your bloody brains out!"

" But you haven't seen me asleep and dreaming," the young boy replied with a trick up his sleeve. The beadle frowned in confusion and with this, Toby ran off.

Later that afternoon, Sweeney Todd, Mrs. Lovett, Johanna and Anthony were waiting intently for Toby's return. He hadn't come back yet and they were hoping he would. But instead, a sharp and intense electric pain shocked Johanna's body. She gave a quiet moan, hoping it would go unnoticed. But of course, the pain would come on so strong, she wouldn't keep it a secret for long.

" Are you all right, Johanna?" asked Anthony. He had curled up on the floor like a puppy. He stood up and approached his little wife, searching her face worriedly. He squeezed her tiny hand. Clutching the bump, Johanna's eyes grew wide with fright. Anthony knew immediately.

Mrs. Lovett, who had been fast asleep the entire time, awoke with a start. She rose from her chair and went straight to Johanna's aid. After a quick massage of her back, an expression of terror scratched across her face.

" I'm goin' to need to examine you thoroughly, my dear. C'mon, let's give ya some privacy," she said, coolly and calmly. She took Johanna's hand and took her into the next room to give her a full examination.

Sweeney and Anthony shot worried glances at one another. The barber watched his sailor friend's lips turn white with pure terror. Sweeney smiled to himself. He remembered that look. He wore that exact same expression when Lucy had Johanna. Mrs. Lovett and Johanna returned, looking both terrified and excited.

" I'm afraid your kid's comin'!" the baker smiled. Anthony beamed and laughed with tears in his eyes.

And so, the four friends spent the next several hours preparing themselves for the Herculean task set ahead of them. All deadly silent, their minds were spinning. Sweeney was resting on the floor, using his box of razors as a pillow. He awoke, yelping. He sat up and observed his daughter closely. He moved to make his back comfortable with Anthony watching.

" Mr. Todd?" Anthony cried, squeezing Johanna's hand just as a contraction hit her hard. " Are you all right?" he asked. He had made himself comfortable without worrying about his precious wife by squeezing into the space between Johanna's chair and the fireplace. His right arm was stuck up in the air and if he moved it, he would be severely burnt by the fire.

" It's nothing. Jus-OW! Ye-ow!" he screamed.

Mrs. Lovett groaned in annoyance. She threw her arms up in the air in despair. " Not now!" she lamented. " If Toby was 'ere, I'd 'ave no problem wiv all this lot," she grumbled sadly. Apart from worrying about her patients, she was deadly afraid for her young nephew. She had promised her sister and she had broken it just like that.

With both pregnant _mothers_ in labour, Mrs. Lovett was on her feet every five seconds, making sure each of them were comfortable. Johanna's contractions were getting more intense and closer together. Anthony offered to help but she insisted that she took charge by herself. She told him to get sleep, as it was approaching eight o'clock. But he refused.

Sweeney was sat in the corner to give more room for Johanna. He was lying on the floor, his belly sticking out like a large inflatable beach ball. All he did was stare at the ceiling, listening to himself breathe. Mrs. Lovett hovered over him with her hands on her hips.

" I just don't understand it. It's so easy for my little girl. Look at her. She's doing perfectly well!" he muttered. " I haven't felt a contraction in about forty minutes. I'm scared, Mrs. L! What if there's something wrong with the baby?" He sat up difficultly. He put his hand on his back for support. He tried to stand up but Mrs. Lovett stopped him. She knelt down beside him.

" Easy now, hush, love, hush. You're a man, Mr. T. You ain't got the parts to pop out kids. Sure your labour is a frightening one but that kid inside ya is just as eager to get out as Johanna's is. I know it."


	7. Forgive and Forget

On the 31st of October, at the strike of midnight, a daughter was born. Her hair was curly and fair. Her blinking eyes were a dark glistening brown, just like her grandfather's. Mrs. Lovett grinned as the tiny child drizzled. As if she was a parcel, the baker/midwife passed her over to the proud mother. The tears streaming down his face, Anthony caressed the baby's face and kissed the cheek of his wife. With exhausted eyes, Johanna nodded in thanks.

" Your lovely little lass," Mrs. Lovett said proudly. " Got a name then, have ya?" she asked, hoping they would the baby after her. After all, she did spend all night fussing like a mother hen. Anthony shook his head.

Johanna looked at her father. " Father?" she squeaked. Sweeney lifted his head and grunted in response. " What was Mother's name?"

Sweeney's white face lit up and his black eyes sparkled. He gave a sad grin and uttered the name of his true love.

" Lucy," Anthony whispered. " I like it!"

Johanna laughed. " Yes, she is certainly a Lucy." Baby Lucy gurgled at the sound of her brand new name, and she was brought to her grandfather to hold.

When Lucy turned just one hour old, Sweeney's contraction returned, only this more intense and irregular. Coming on hard and slow, he had never felt such physical pain. Anthony insisted that Mrs. Lovett should go get some sleep, but he didn't know what to do if the baby should make an appearance. While Johanna and her child slept, the drained Mrs. Lovett was pacing up and down, ordering Anthony about.

The sun rose and the day began. But the pie shop was barricaded in case anyone burst in unannounced. It didn't prevent people from crowding around though. At some point during the night, they had heard Johanna's screams of agony and later the baby's cries. All sorts of questions ran through their minds. Is the baby healthy? Is it a boy or a girl? Is the mother well? Why is the shop still closed? Why can I still hear rushing feet, and agonised shouts? The people looked through the windows for answers.

As the clock was nearing eleven o'clock, there was an urgent banging at the door and recognisable demands of, " Todd! Mr. Todd, open this door at once!"

" The judge!" Sweeney gasped and squirmed uncomfortably.

Mrs. Lovett, exhausted and starved, stood up, looking uncertainly towards the door. " Shall…I let him in, mister?" she asked in a whisper, shooting a glance at Anthony, who was holding his friend's hand.

" Mr. Todd! I have your boy!"

At the mention of 'boy', she gasped and rushed to the door, with or without Sweeney's permission. She opened it ajar and poked her head out. There stood Toby with Judge Turpin attached to his arm. " My darlin'!" she sobbed. She wrapped her arms around her nephew and kissed him until her lips were chapped. " Why did you run off like that? You scared the life outta me!" she whispered in his ear.

" I'm sorry, Aunty, but I decided you're more important than any old workers' rights."

" Where is Mr. Todd? I must speak with him at once!" the judge butted in.

" Uh, he's not well, sir," she said gave Toby a wink.

A scream rang out and Anthony's shocked exclaims hit Mrs. Lovett hard in the head. " Oh, my good Lord in Heaven! What IS that?"

" Mrs. Lovett!" Sweeney groaned.

" Gotta go! Well, thanks for bringin' Tobes back. But I'm really busy at the moment, I'm sorry!"

But the judge was not taking no for an answer. He burst through the door and ran into the parlour. He saw a nightmarish sight. Almost spread-eagled, Sweeney laid on the floor, writhing and yelling in pain. His pale face turned pink and sweat soaked his brow and hair. The boy who stole the woman of the judge's dreams away from him sat beside him, dabbing his forehead with a damp cloth.

" What the hell is going on around here?" the judge snapped.

" Excuse me, sir," Mrs. Lovett interrupted nonchalantly. " But it looks like he's ready to push now."

" P-push?" Turpin questioned, with absolutely no idea about what was going on.

" YES, PUSH! I'M HAVING A GODDAMN BABY, AREN'T I?" Sweeney roared. " NOW ARE YOU GONNA GET THIS THING OUTTA ME OR NOT?" he spat, breathing heavily and groaning.

The judge turned quite frightened of this strange, secretive man and obeyed his orders instantly. He knelt down and he gave him a tentative pat on the knee.

" All right, darlin', when the next contraction comes, I want you to push, OK?" Mrs. Lovett told Sweeney who nodded, gritting his teeth. Toby stood in the corner, blushing and grimacing. " OK…Here it comes…"

" Push, man!"

" Come on, you can do it!"

Turpin and Mrs. Lovett held his legs up while he pushed with all his might, his panting and moaning never stopping. " Oh, nothing happened," she mumbled. " Never mind, Mr. T. We'll get this baby outta ya; some way or another."

Sweeney gasped for air. " There's…something I want to tell you, Judge." Turpin nodded to indicate that he was listening. " Remember…Hm…Lucy?" Bewildered, Turpin's jaw dropped. " Well," Sweeney continued. " She was my wife."

" You're Benjamin Barker!"

A few minutes later, Sweeney needed to push again. Locking his legs in the right position, Judge Turpin and Mrs. Lovett encouraged him with excited shouts and kind words.

" Come on, come on, come on!"

" Push, Barker!"

Several pushes later…

" I can see the head! Oh, Mr. Todd, you should see it!" Mrs. Lovett cried, grinning.

" Yes, but I don't think this is the place for twelve year old boys," Turpin piped up, gesturing to the place where Toby had been standing.

Toby was not standing. He was lying on the floor unconscious.

" He must've fainted!" Mrs. Lovett shrieked. She carried him into her bedroom where he would be out of the way and so that he wouldn't feel ill anymore. With Anthony asleep beside Johanna and Lucy, the pair could keep their focuses entirely on the murderous barber.

" Come on, we gotta see that baby!"

" Push! You can get through this!"

" No…I…CAN'T!"

" Yes, you can, Barker! Just keep pushing!"

Sweeney yelled and screamed and writhed.

" Oh, my goodness! It's nearly out!"

" Come on, do it!"

Finally, Sweeney could give all of his strength to the push would free his baby.

" Barker…you…can…do…this!"

" GOD, I HATE YOU!"

A blood-curdling scream broke out. The judge held the baby close in his clutches and he grinned. " Congratulations, Mr. Barker. You have a son. A handsome one, too!"

Smiling, Mrs. Lovett took the baby away to clean so the two men could be on their own.

" Well, Barker," Turpin began, listening to Mrs. Lovett whistle merrily in the next room. " When I came here this morning, I didn't expect to deliver your offspring."

" I know," Sweeney answered. " I'm not one to forget and forgive but…thank you."

Judge Turpin nodded and Mrs. Lovett came in once more, with the little boy wrapped up in a cosy blanket. " Here you are, Todd," she cried and plopped the baby into his father's arms.

Perfectly pale, the infant blinked nervously at the world around him. Then his warm smiling eyes met his father's. Sweeney felt a shiver of warmth as he grinned down at the tiny human. He stroked his bald head affectionately and gently rocked him. Not in a million years he thought he would feel this kind of happiness again.

" I think you're Edward, don't you?" he smiled. Then he looked up to Mrs. Lovett and Judge Turpin. " I always thought if Johanna had been a boy, I would've named him Edward."

" Well, it's a grand ole name, Mr. T."

" Indeed."

Just then, Johanna appeared with Anthony by her side and Lucy in her arms. She squeaked in terror when she spotted her former guardian. " Sir, I am not going home with you," she said firmly, and for the first time in her life, she watched him give a smile.

" I could never ask you to do that. Besides, you have your husband now and your child," he said. He turned to Anthony. " Boy. You will take care of them, won't you? Or I'll put you in prison," he joked.

Anthony nodded. " I will, sir. Thanks so much for the blessing."

As you can see, Sweeney Todd forgave Judge Turpin and they were frequently in each other's lives after that fateful day. Edward and Lucy grew up side by side, knowing the truth behind the barber's past.


End file.
